Publisher's Synopsis
No one is born with Wisdom - the ability to think and act with understanding and insight. Wisdom grows only in a soil rich with knowledge and experience, but knowledge and experience provide only the nutrients. Wisdom must be nurtured by curiosity and a desire for understanding. Growing wisdom takes time and effort. Great minds have graced us with records of their struggles towards wisdom. This volume enables us to stand on the shoulders of some of these giants and thereby grow our own wisdom farther - and faster!Growing Wisdom: An Invitation to Western Philosophy comprises an exceptionally affordable, readable, high-quality, scholarly rigorous collection of canonical philosophical texts. From Plato to Dennett, it presents western philosophy as dialogue between and among generations, over centuries, and challenges us to stand on the shoulders of giants in our own quest for wisdom. Includes context-enriching intellectual biographies of every author Includes "What to Look For" sections to help guide the reader towards understanding (and for use as possible discussion topics) Organized in historical sequence within "problem groups" Section introductions preview and build context for readings Selections chosen from earliest editions whenever possible and appropriate; each selection includes pagination of original sources and is tagged with original publication date Selections carefully compared with original print versions and proofed for accuracy Sidebars on Occam's razor, the argument from evil, and brain transplants enrich related selections Appendix delivers user-friendly aids to critical thinking.
